Trouble March 2018

trouble 154

Arts House presents

Festival of Live Art 2018 13 – 25 March 2018 22 adventurous works in the third edition of the Festival of Live Art. Developed in partnership with Arts House, Theatre Works and Footscray Community Arts Centre, the Festival of Live Art invites inquisitive audiences to experience works by bold artists at their experimental best.

From the epic to the microscopic, the Festival of Live Art encourages everything that is participatory and interactive.

Arts House will present the Festival of Live Art across Melbourne, both at their home in the North Melbourne Town Hall as well as a choral presentation at West Space and sport inspired works at Melbourne City Baths and Argyle Square, Carlton.

Web artshouse.com.au Facebook /artshousemelbourne Twitter @artshousemelb Instagram @artshouse IMAGES IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE 1. Wowzzzeee - Adele Varcoe - Image includes Adele Varcoe and participants - Image by Andrew McLaughlin. 2. Kill Climate Deniers - David Finnigan & Reuben Ingall - Image includes artists David Finnigan & Reuben Ingall - Image by Sarah Walker. 3. SQUASH! - Meg Wilson - Image Includes a participant (L) and Meg Wilson (R) - Image by Sarah Eastick.

4. Capitalism Works For Me! - Steve Lambert - Image Includes a participant - Image by Steve Lambert. 5. Let’s Go Up Here - Slown, Smallened & Son - Image Includes Alice Dixon, Caroline Meadan, William McBride - Image by En plein air. 6. A Song To Change The World - Jason Maling & SongMing Ang - Image by Jason Maling & Song-Ming Ang. See site for performance dates and times.

CONTENTS

FESTIVAL OF LIVE ART 2018

Arts House, Theatre Works & Footscray Community Arts Centre .............

COMICS FACE

Ive Sorocuk ...............................................................................................

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DANIEL MOYNIHAN, A RARE BEAST

Troubleflix .................................................................................................. 16

MEET THE MAKERS: ARTS OPEN

Steve Proposch ........................................................................................

MARCH SALON

Much-Saluted ..............................................................................................

FINDING THE ART IN PHUKET: THE ART OF THE CULTURAL MELTING POT

Anthony S. Cameron .................................................................................

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COVER: Elizabeth GERTSAKIS, A Farmer’s daughter saved from outrage, by a brave dog (detail) 2013, digital pigment on canvas. Reproduced courtesy of the artist and William Mora Galleries, Melbourne. Outrage, obscenity and madness — Elizabeth Gertsakis, Geelong Gallery, 55 Little Malop Street, Geelong (VIC), until 6 May 2018 - geelonggallery.org.au Issue 154 MARCH 2018 trouble is an independent monthly mag for promotion of arts and culture Published by Trouble Magazine Pty Ltd. ISSN 1449-3926 EDITOR Steve Proposch CONTRIBUTORS Ive Sorocuk, Anthony S. Cameron, love.

GET from AppStore FOLLOW on issuu, facebook & twitter SUBSCRIBE at troublemag.com READER ADVICE: Trouble magazine contains artistic content that may include nudity, adult concepts, coarse language, and the names, images or artworks of deceased Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. Treat Trouble intelligently, as you expect to be treated by others. Collect or dispose of thoughtfully.

DIS IS DE DISCLAIMER! The views and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher. To the best of our knowledge all details in this magazine were correct at the time of publication. The publisher does not accept responsibility for errors or omissions. All content in this publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without prior permission of the publisher. Trouble is distributed online from the first of every month of publication but accepts no responsibility for any inconvenience or financial loss in the event of delays. Phew!

This comic first appeared in Trouble AUGUST 2011

troubleflix a trouble exclusive

Daniel Moynihan, A Rare Beast Artist Daniel Moynihan takes us through the process for printing one of his etchings.

Moynihan’s unique and deeply informed process of printmaking has evolved through 50 years of practice. He talks of his formative years in Melbourne, Udo Sellback and the formation of the Print Council of Australia (PCA), working at Atelier Lacourière et Frélaut in Paris, and more.

Images courtesy of the artist © Daniel Moynihan. Licensed by Viscopy, 2016.

With thanks to Danny Moynihan & Loris Button.

Meet

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Makers

arts open

by Steve Proposch

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The Open Studio is a long tradition in artistic practice, originating in the salons of 17th Century Paris and the gatherings of intellectuals and artists such as those hosted by Madame de Scudéry. During the 1950s the Beat poets took the concept of the Open Studio and gave it the form of public poetry exchanges, which were the forerunners of poetry slams. Then in the 60s and 70s, while Andy Warhol held ‘happenings’ in The Factory, which culminated in the open-floor parties known as the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, the French literary group OuLiPo (short for French: Ouvroir de littérature potentielle, which can be roughly translated as “workshop of potential literature”) held experimental “jamborees” during which they invented seemingly impossible literary constraints such as writing an entire novel without using the letter ‘e’.

The modern day Open Studio is a somewhat less experimental, and more commercial, affair. It is less about artists sharing ideas, techniques and habits with other artists, and more about public engagement, education, and sales.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. In fact, it’s a damn fine idea.

For city-folk and suburbanites alike the rural Open Studio weekend is a great opportunity to take a couple of relaxing, yet purposeful and cultural, days out of town and go exploring – into the villages, or the bush – to find reallife artists in situ, at work in their natural environment. Here you not only see these dedicated and talented people demonstrate techniques and share their creative processes, but talk to them and hear stories of their journey so far.

The opportunity of then purchasing their original works is made all the more enticing because it comes to you informed by those stories, as well as your own rich and personal experience. The painting, print, sculpture, ceramic or jewellery you decide to make your own is no longer an abstract or remote object to prettify your living room, but a memory of that weekend and of the artist who made it. You know why it was made. You know how it was made.

You know where it was made. That equates to genuine cultural capital.

In the Castlemaine region artists have been holding Open Studio events for just about as long as they have been working here, prepared to give up the peace and tranquility of rural life for a couple of weekends a year and allow general admission into what can be highly prized and private spaces. This is not an exercise in showing-off, but a calculated bid to sell more of their work (and themselves) directly to collectors, galleries, and the general public – to anyone wanting to acquire art from the makers themselves.

PREVIOUS SPREAD: Sculptor Trefor Prest. RIGHT: Trefor Prest, Throat 2017.

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The studio you visit may be a kitchen table, a small rustic shed, a warehouse, or a custom built, fully kitted environment, but in any case it will be the place where art happens, and creations are created. Here in these studios is an insight to the working life of an artist, who, for many years or a lifetime, has lived a different kind of existence to the everyday. Here you may see that it is not necessarily an easy life, but one of dedication and hard work, where many, many hours are spent on ideas, the practice of techniques, and wrenching something out of nothing.

Chloe Neath is new to the area, and is joining the Newstead Open Studios Art Trail for the first time this year. “I create intricate realistic charcoal portraits on brown paper and I’m always searching for interesting faces to draw,” she explains. “I often work with gold leaf, and combined with the brown paper it ABOVE: Chloe Neath, Chloe Gold Profile 2017.

gives the portraits a warmth and a vintage feel. Growing up I watched heroines in old black and white movies, and also enjoyed the Art Nouveau aesthetic. I think this influence is apparent in the style of many of my portraits.”

“Charcoal is one of those materials that can be really challenging to handle,” Chloe continues. “I used it in life-drawing classes many years ago and loved the way that a charcoal smudge seemed to add warmth and flesh to the figure, but I hadn’t been drawing since I left university in 1994. It wasn’t until about six years ago that I drew a face with some willow charcoal, and realised how much I’d missed the feel of drawing on paper; and since then creativity has become a huge part of my life. These days I’m working on weekends in my studio, and have managed to have two very successful solo exhibitions in Bendigo in 2014 and 2015, plus participating in a wide range of group exhibitions. I was even

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able to have the portrait I drew of Blanche D’Alpuget presented to her onstage as a thank you from The Bendigo Writer’s Festival. Bendigo is such a thriving, stimulating and supportive hub of creative activity, and I’m really enjoying the positive dynamic of the art communities in Ballarat, Castlemaine and Daylesford as they’re so close to where I live now.”

This year over 100 artists are taking part in Arts Open: Meet the Makers across Mount Alexander Shire and a wide range of disciplines. Painters, jewellers, printmakers, sculptors, ceramicists, photographers, multimedia artists and craftspeople will exhibit and share their work, from studios spanning the townships of Castlemaine, Maldon, Newstead, Taradale, Harcourt, Chewton and beyond.

In addition, Arts Open will feature a number of group exhibitions, and host two Pecha Kucha nights. Pecha Kucha is a simple presentation structure: running twenty images for twenty seconds each, on automatic advance so the presenter can’t stop. It’s a way of focusing the discussion around visual stimulus. It was first conceived of back in 2003, when two European architects, Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, kept falling asleep during Powerpoint presentations from other architects. Working in Japan, Klein and Dytham created a new format to help everyone to edit themselves, and called it Pecha Kucha, Japanese for “chit chat.” In Castlemaine the Pecha Kucha evening will feature ten local artists and their work.

This is a fascinating opportunity to peep into the studios and workshops of the many artists working around Castlemaine, and the perfect time to increase your own cultural capital by investing in their work. Open your heart and your mind, but also open your wallet before you leave. It’s not about you alone supporting an artist who may be struggling – many of the artists in Arts Open are already successful in their own right, with gallery representation, solo shows and National Collections on their CVs – it’s about creating a culture where art is supported. In order for that to happen art must first be appreciated and understood, and the most wonderful thing about Open Studios is that potential for revelation – hey, this is not some arcane, mysterious process I’ll never understand! It’s just ordinary, everyday people doing extraordinary things, everyday.

Arts Open: Meet the Makers is a biennial event held over two weekends in 2018, 10-12 and 17-18 March. More about the featured artists can be found on the Arts Open website - artsopen.com.au

march salon

1 1. Guy MAESTRI, Pointillist self-portrait 2018, oil on linen, 61.0 x 51.0 cm. Courtesy the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane. On Painting, by Guy Maestri, Jan Murphy Gallery, 486 Brunswick Street Fortitude Valley (QLD), 27 March – 27 April 2018 janmurphygallery.com.au 2. Ag Art Wear – Creative Country Couture, Bendigo Living Arts Space, at the Bendigo Visitor Centre, 51-67 Pall Mall Bendigo (VIC), until 29 April 2018 - bendigotourism.com.au

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3. Suzie BLAKE, Self Portrait with Maximiliano and Xavier ii 2017, digital inkjet print, 119cm x 84cm. What does Breastfeeding Look Like?: Suzie Blake, Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery, Horseshoe Bend, Swan Hill (VIC), until 18 March - gallery.swanhill.vic.gov.au 4. Wall to Wall Festival, Benalla (VIC), March Labour Day long weekend, 9-12 March 2018. Photo by Nicole Reed. Wall to Wall Festival is supported by Creative Victoria, Visit Victoria and Benalla Rural City Council walltowallfestival.com 5. Grace HOGAN, Four places, one face 2017, clay scratchboard, four parts: 71 x 56 cm each. Swan Christian College. Year 12 Perspectives, Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA), Perth Cultural Centre Perth (WA), 17 March - 16 July 2018 - artgallery.wa.gov.au 6. John BENAVENTE, Renaissance Rose 2017, digitial print. National Photographic Portrait Prize 2017, toured by the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra. Devonport Regional Gallery, 45-47 Stewart Street Devonport (TAS), until 15 April 2018 - devonportgallery.com 7. Matthew FAIRBRIDGE, Squinch 2017, plaster, wood stone. Fine Young Things, Wangaratta Art Gallery, Gallery 1, 56 Ovens Street, Wangaratta (VIC), 9 February – 8 April 2018 - wangarattaartgallery.com.au 8. Tamara DEAN, Elephant ear (Alocasia odora) in Autumn from the series In our nature, April 2017, Adelaide Botanic Garden, pure pigment print on cotton rag, 150 x 200 cm. Courtesy the artist and Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney. 2018 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Divided Worlds, Art Gallery of South Australia, North Terrace, Adelaide (SA), 3 March – 3 June 2018 - artgallery.sa.gov.au 9. Latai TAUMOEPEAU, Repatriate, Performance Space – Liveworks Festival of Experimental Art 2015 (Sydney), Photo by Alex Davies. Image Courtesy of the artist. Latai Taumoepeau, Fremantle Arts Centre, 1 Finnerty Street, Fremantle (WA), until 23 March 2018 - fac.org.au

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FINDING THE ART IN

Phuket The Art of the Cultural Melting Pot

by Anthony S. Cameron

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Phuket comes at you all at once, with a slippery handshake wrapped in a suffocating blast of humidity and diesel fumes, speaking a scary blend of languages and moving slow enough to stop the sweat from forming. And that’s on a quiet day. A quiet day is barely distinguishable from a busy day. Planes land at Phuket airport with alarming regularity, spewing out the 15.5 million who visit here every year, distributing them across the island like icing on a cake with not enough pieces to go around. Patong, that lovely den of iniquity, gets most of them, and if you’ve ever been on a bus heading down Patong hill fresh from the airport, that feeling that you are about to die as a result of the failing brakes and the ridiculously steep hill will never leave you, and propels many into a week-long drunken stupor. Some argue Patong is much better that way. Drunk, that is. Oh yeah, darkness also helps.

After a short restorative dose of the hotel airconditioning you will find yourself on the street, where Patong’s gritty version of life presents itself to you like one big pouting Instagram photo. You will pass Italian, Thai, Russian, Indian, French, German, American, British and you-name-it restaurants. Take your pick, but don’t fret because there’s another street just like this one, and another, and another after that. Along the way you will hear a many of the world’s languages, and probably all at once. Bursts of Russian, Chinese, Thai, English, German, Danish, French, Spanish, Italian, Lebanese, Greek, Arabic, Cambodian, and even Nigerian will pass you by on a hot gust of tropical air, itself laden with sultry intentions. Add to that the ubiquitous, thinly veiled snarl of the massage girls and you will start to wonder if someone isn’t conducting this strange human symphony.

And if that’s not enough for you, zoom in on the aromas for a moment. Check out the beautiful, sweet smell of roti cooking on a stainless steel pan, get a nose full of fish sauce as you pass the Somtam stall on your way to the kebab shop, where the aroma of spicy meat pulled you in from a block away. Try and pass the wood fired pizza shops without swooning from the scent of the most popular food in the world. Try, I dare you, to pass one of the French patisseries without snaffling a couple of fresh croissants, or falling in proximity love with the waitress.

By now you will have sweat running down your back as you walk and your body will have started swelling from heat retention. Beer signs will start to stand out more, and that beach at the end of the road will be reduced to a shimmering haze in someone else’s imagination. The lizard-like tuk tuk drivers Finding the Art in Phuket / Tony Cameron

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and touts will have begun to take on a ‘fear and loathing’ edge as they lunge at you from the shadows and you will start to wonder why that broad shouldered, tall Thai chick with the legs is giving you the eye. All those languages that danced around you before so interestingly now sound like a hundred dementia patients all talking at once and suddenly you realise that it isn’t just the heat sapping your sanity. You have hit a cultural overload, and all the input coming at you is some weird kind of human distortion, and as another Singha sign looms, you realise that beer might be the only answer to a question you have already forgotten.

Two or so beers later you find yourself back out on the street declining an offer from a ladyboy to ‘suck your cock in three different languages’, wondering where your wife has got to and why the street itself looks so unfamiliar all of a sudden.

You stumble away slightly bewildered and come across a ‘balloon’ bar on your way back to your life. Twenty free shots of Thai tequila later and you have made your first friends, the bargirls who have been sitting next to you and staring into their phones as you kept downing those drinks while you amazed yourself at how impervious you were to the tequila’s potency. There are lots of other guys that look like you in the bar: drunk, red faced and laughing. You discover a new language, called ‘Tinglish’.

You figure it’s time to go after you wake up on the floor next to your barstool with the party still going on around you.

You make it out onto the street somehow. It’s night time and the streets are packed with touts and bleary eyed tourists with that look of dulled expectation on their faces. Miraculously you come across your wife, who has been out looking for you for hours, ruining her own chance of fun and not at all interested in your drunken adventures. You run the gauntlet with her, past the touts, lady boys, massage girls, pole dancers, alluring aromas of food you now couldn’t keep down, the streets now a blur of colour and sound, a sensory blast that is a million human beings out on the town with nothing to lose.

You make it back to your room, and, sobered by blissful aircon, promptly decide to take your wife back out to the bar where your new friends are waiting. Your night has just begun.

Welcome to Phuket. A very strange chunk of paradise.

I am pretty sure there isn’t another place quite like this one.

Pics by Tony Cameron

ANTHONY S. CAMERON is an Australian ex-pat living in Phuket, Thailand, and the author of two novels, Driftwood (2014) and Butterfly on Bangla (2015).

His books are available on Amazon here. You can find his sculptural furniture on Facebook here.